San Carlo Honda Gresini confirms CRT entry for 2012

The Italian team will run an FTR frame as a CRT entry and with a Honda CBR1000R engine next season, with an announcement on the rider to be made soon.

Team San Carlo Honda Gresini will join forces with British bike manufacturer FTR Moto as they embark on a new adventure as a CRT (Claiming Rules Team) in the MotoGP World Championship in 2012.

The new FTR MGP12 machine will run with a Honda CBR1000R engine and will begin testing shortly, with a rider soon to be announced as the team embarks on the necessary technical development ahead of the new campaign.

Fausto Gresini, Team Owner:
“It is a source of great satisfaction that we have reached an agreement with FTR Moto to take part in the new MotoGP series, CRT. The battle between the Claiming Rule Teams will be an exciting one and we are entering it with great enthusiasm. Our willingness to take part was always based on the condition that we had the right technical partner and with FTR Moto and a Honda CBR1000R engine we believe we can build a competitive bike for this new category. It is a new adventure that appeals to our racing spirit and it could prove to be the future of MotoGP. We will work our hardest and I am sure we will have great results together.”

Steve Bones, CEO – FTR Moto:
“We are absolutely delighted to start up a partnership with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini and to join them on a new adventure in MotoGP. Team Gresini has shown over the years that it is technically competent, as its numerous successes prove, and we are sure that will continue alongside FTR on this new adventure. The growing interest in the new MotoGP CRT category is exciting for all of us and we can't wait to get on track as soon as possible to start developing the bike and breaking new technical boundaries.”